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The Haunted Mask #4
The Haunted Mask
For the first time ever, Goosebumps is in hard cover! Catch the series' most notorious characters--undead or alive...
For the first time ever, Goosebumps is in hard cover! Catch the series' most notorious characters--undead or alive...
From horror master R.L. Stine come two new chilling stories in one spooky standalone:
Lu-Ann Franklin usually loves Halloween. Not this year. Her best friend, Devin O'Bannon, is going away for the week. And she has to go to a boring party where nothing exciting could ever happen. But when Lu-Ann comes face-to-face with The Haunted Mask, major trouble lies ahead.
Devin O'Bannon didn't want to leave his best friend Lu-Ann Franklin behind on Halloween. He didn't ask to go on this trip. And that was before he heard the strange scratching on his windows and saw the shadows moving around in the fields. Something is out there and it doesn't seem to want Devin around!
For the first time ever, Goosebumps is in hard cover! Catch the series' most notorious characters--undead or alive...
From horror master R.L. Stine come two new chilling stories in one spooky standalone:
Lu-Ann Franklin usually loves Halloween. Not this year. Her best friend, Devin O'Bannon, is going away for the week. And she has to go to a boring party where nothing exciting could ever happen. But when Lu-Ann comes face-to-face with The Haunted Mask, major trouble lies ahead.
Devin O'Bannon didn't want to leave his best friend Lu-Ann Franklin behind on Halloween. He didn't ask to go on this trip. And that was before he heard the strange scratching on his windows and saw the shadows moving around in the fields. Something is out there and it doesn't seem to want Devin around!
245 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2012
67 people are currently reading
808 people want to read
About the author
R.L. Stine
1,598books18kfollowersRobert Lawrence Stine known as R. L. Stine and Jovial Bob Stine, is an American novelist and writer, well known for targeting younger audiences. Stine, who is often called the Stephen King of children's literature, is the author of dozens of popular horror fiction novellas, including the books in the Goosebumps, Rotten School, Mostly Ghostly, The Nightmare Room and Fear Street series.
R. L. Stine began his writing career when he was nine years old, and today he has achieved the position of the bestselling children's author in history. In the early 1990s, Stine was catapulted to fame when he wrote the unprecedented, bestselling Goosebumps® series, which sold more than 250 million copies and became a worldwide multimedia phenomenon. His other major series, Fear Street, has over 80 million copies sold.
Stine has received numerous awards of recognition, including several Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards and Disney Adventures Kids' Choice Awards, and he has been selected by kids as one of their favorite authors in the NEA's Read Across America program. He lives in New York, NY.
R. L. Stine began his writing career when he was nine years old, and today he has achieved the position of the bestselling children's author in history. In the early 1990s, Stine was catapulted to fame when he wrote the unprecedented, bestselling Goosebumps® series, which sold more than 250 million copies and became a worldwide multimedia phenomenon. His other major series, Fear Street, has over 80 million copies sold.
Stine has received numerous awards of recognition, including several Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards and Disney Adventures Kids' Choice Awards, and he has been selected by kids as one of their favorite authors in the NEA's Read Across America program. He lives in New York, NY.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 94 reviews
January 4, 2024
It's unfortunate that I have to start 2024 off with a negative review, but Wanted: The Haunted Mask sucked. In what is (as far as I know) an unprecedented move in any Goosebumps series, this book basically combines what would otherwise be two entire Goosebumps books into one, telling two separate stories that each separately play out and are loosely connected in the last 5-10 pages of this 231-page doubleheader.
The first story follows Lu-Ann, who puts on The Haunted Mask� and goes ballistic from its evil, and the second story follows her friend Devin, who goes to work in a pumpkin patch on a remote farm his unemployed dad has leased to try to make some money leading up to Halloween.
The biggest sin this book commits is that it's so damn repetitive, in both stories. In Lu-Ann's story, it seems like she just endlessly runs around destroying things in a rage and tries to get people to help her get the mask off, on repeat. And in Devin's story, which is way more repetitive (to the point where I wanted to gouge my eyes out), Devin just keeps seeing pumpkins and pumpkin vines coming to life, which no one else can ever see, and then playing out the beat-like-a-dead-horse-by-now Stine trope of "you gotta believe me!", over and over again, as he vainly tries to convince his father that what he's seeing is real.
Some parts of the story were also really forced, and it made the story seem a bit ridiculous. For example, when Lu-Ann finds out that to be able to remove The Haunted Mask� she has to perform an act of kindness, she immediately runs into three such scenarios in quick succession without having ever run into one beforehand: a lost girl sitting on a curb, a guy standing next to his car (which has a flat tire), and a girl who needs to be rescued from an evil ghost. It all felt incredibly forced and contrived. He could have at least written a few pages between her learning this and this ridiculously obvious gauntlet of such opportunities beginning, but it starts literally on like the next page after she learns about it.
Ridiculous.
Stine also reuses another weird and frankly disgusting trope in his books, which I've seen in at least two other Goosebumps books now and which adds absolutely nothing to any of his stories: some minor character randomly spewing out orange vomit. Seriously, WTF is up with him continuing to do this? It makes no sense and it's repulsive.
To cap things off, there is a 3-page epilogue in this book, where two unbelievably stupid and awful things happen to finish off the book, and if I had any love for this book up to that point, that definitively killed it for me.
Repetitive, contrived, and embarrassingly unoriginal, Wanted: The Haunted Mask was clearly meant to be two separate books. Instead, Stine produced two disjointed narratives and tried in a very forced, awkward way to merge them at the very end. All this (and an unbelievably bad epilogue) combines to produce what is, in my opinion, the worst Haunted Mask book Stine has ever written (yes, it's even worse than The Scream of the Haunted Mask). Many consider this the best book in the Goosebumps: Most Wanted series, but if that's the case, I'm glad I started here, because now I know I'll go no further with this series.
CAWPILE rating:
Characters: 4.0
Atmosphere / Setting: 5.0
Writing Style: 2.5
Plot: 1.5
Intrigue: 3.5
Logic / Relationships: 4.0
Enjoyment: 2.5
= 23 total
÷ 7 categories = 3.28 out of 10
= 2 stars
The first story follows Lu-Ann, who puts on The Haunted Mask� and goes ballistic from its evil, and the second story follows her friend Devin, who goes to work in a pumpkin patch on a remote farm his unemployed dad has leased to try to make some money leading up to Halloween.
The biggest sin this book commits is that it's so damn repetitive, in both stories. In Lu-Ann's story, it seems like she just endlessly runs around destroying things in a rage and tries to get people to help her get the mask off, on repeat. And in Devin's story, which is way more repetitive (to the point where I wanted to gouge my eyes out), Devin just keeps seeing pumpkins and pumpkin vines coming to life, which no one else can ever see, and then playing out the beat-like-a-dead-horse-by-now Stine trope of "you gotta believe me!", over and over again, as he vainly tries to convince his father that what he's seeing is real.
Some parts of the story were also really forced, and it made the story seem a bit ridiculous. For example, when Lu-Ann finds out that to be able to remove The Haunted Mask� she has to perform an act of kindness, she immediately runs into three such scenarios in quick succession without having ever run into one beforehand: a lost girl sitting on a curb, a guy standing next to his car (which has a flat tire), and a girl who needs to be rescued from an evil ghost. It all felt incredibly forced and contrived. He could have at least written a few pages between her learning this and this ridiculously obvious gauntlet of such opportunities beginning, but it starts literally on like the next page after she learns about it.
Ridiculous.
Stine also reuses another weird and frankly disgusting trope in his books, which I've seen in at least two other Goosebumps books now and which adds absolutely nothing to any of his stories: some minor character randomly spewing out orange vomit. Seriously, WTF is up with him continuing to do this? It makes no sense and it's repulsive.
To cap things off, there is a 3-page epilogue in this book, where two unbelievably stupid and awful things happen to finish off the book, and if I had any love for this book up to that point, that definitively killed it for me.
Repetitive, contrived, and embarrassingly unoriginal, Wanted: The Haunted Mask was clearly meant to be two separate books. Instead, Stine produced two disjointed narratives and tried in a very forced, awkward way to merge them at the very end. All this (and an unbelievably bad epilogue) combines to produce what is, in my opinion, the worst Haunted Mask book Stine has ever written (yes, it's even worse than The Scream of the Haunted Mask). Many consider this the best book in the Goosebumps: Most Wanted series, but if that's the case, I'm glad I started here, because now I know I'll go no further with this series.
CAWPILE rating:
Characters: 4.0
Atmosphere / Setting: 5.0
Writing Style: 2.5
Plot: 1.5
Intrigue: 3.5
Logic / Relationships: 4.0
Enjoyment: 2.5
= 23 total
÷ 7 categories = 3.28 out of 10
= 2 stars
December 17, 2016
Did R. L. Stine even write this?? What is going on here? The Haunted Mask is one of my favorite Goosebumps books ever. Then this comes along and tries to... what? Ruin it? It's just so so bad in every way. It is terribly cringey, the facts and mythology of the haunted mask are all wrong, and the plot is ridiculous. I seriously think Stine hired someone to write this. In fact, I hope he did. He's one of my heroes and I refuse to believe he turned this out.
June 24, 2016
3.5 STARS!
I didn't expect two books in 1 but it was fun and definitely spooky. I loved how grotesque the first 20 pages were too. The Haunted Mask is my favorite Goosebumps books so I was excited to read this one and glad that I liked it. :)
I didn't expect two books in 1 but it was fun and definitely spooky. I loved how grotesque the first 20 pages were too. The Haunted Mask is my favorite Goosebumps books so I was excited to read this one and glad that I liked it. :)
August 10, 2017
Every Goosebumps villain has an origin story, but we rarely hear them. Even in Goosebumps Wanted: The Haunted Mask, what we get is more a brief glimpse than a comprehensive backstory of how the mask came to terrify generations of innocent people, from William the world-famous mask maker all the way to Lu-Ann Franklin and her friends. We learn that William's brother, Randolph, brought the demonic mask into ordinary society, first inflicting it on William. Forty years later, the saga continues as Lu-Ann discovers its hiding place and suffers the curse of the mask's malevolence. Will there be any escaping it this time?
Twelve-year-olds Lu-Ann and her friend Devin O'Bannon are in for very different Halloween experiences this year. Lu-Ann is going to Polly Martin's ultra-tame party, and Devin will be stuck working the pumpkin farm his father rented to run as a seasonal business. Lu-Ann doesn't hold out much hope for an exciting Halloween when Polly's party starts out predictably un-scary, but the goosebumps come when she sneaks up to the attic and finds a horrifically disfigured man guarding a box of grotesque, shockingly realistic masks. Lu-Ann's fate is sealed when she puts on one of the masks to scare the other kids at the party. The mask's evil influence throws her into a rage, making her do appalling, violent things. The mask won't come off no matter how hard she pulls; horrified, she realizes it has become her real face. What can save her from falling victim to its mindless fury? Devin isn't having fun at his pumpkin farm, either. There's a hostile spirit in the ground, creeping up through the vines and pumpkins to terrorize Devin's family, and disaster is imminent if he can't neutralize it by Halloween night. Lu-Ann and Devin's paths will cross at the brink of destruction, but do they have what it takes to help each other survive this nightmare?
In case casual Goosebumps fans are confused, this isn't The Haunted Mask from the original series. Goosebumps Wanted: The Haunted Mask is the kickoff volume to the Most Wanted sub-series from two decades later, and Carly Beth Caldwell, the character most associated with the haunted mask and arguably the best-known character in Goosebumps history, isn't in the story. This book is longer than The Haunted Mask, but it's not as suspenseful, doesn't make as much sense, and there's no twist ending to induce real goosebumps. It's also gorier than most Goosebumps books. There are atmospheric moments, though, so I do recommend it for die-hard Goosebumps fanatics. I might give this one and a half stars, but there are better books ahead in the Most Wanted series. Keep reading and you'll see what I mean.
Twelve-year-olds Lu-Ann and her friend Devin O'Bannon are in for very different Halloween experiences this year. Lu-Ann is going to Polly Martin's ultra-tame party, and Devin will be stuck working the pumpkin farm his father rented to run as a seasonal business. Lu-Ann doesn't hold out much hope for an exciting Halloween when Polly's party starts out predictably un-scary, but the goosebumps come when she sneaks up to the attic and finds a horrifically disfigured man guarding a box of grotesque, shockingly realistic masks. Lu-Ann's fate is sealed when she puts on one of the masks to scare the other kids at the party. The mask's evil influence throws her into a rage, making her do appalling, violent things. The mask won't come off no matter how hard she pulls; horrified, she realizes it has become her real face. What can save her from falling victim to its mindless fury? Devin isn't having fun at his pumpkin farm, either. There's a hostile spirit in the ground, creeping up through the vines and pumpkins to terrorize Devin's family, and disaster is imminent if he can't neutralize it by Halloween night. Lu-Ann and Devin's paths will cross at the brink of destruction, but do they have what it takes to help each other survive this nightmare?
In case casual Goosebumps fans are confused, this isn't The Haunted Mask from the original series. Goosebumps Wanted: The Haunted Mask is the kickoff volume to the Most Wanted sub-series from two decades later, and Carly Beth Caldwell, the character most associated with the haunted mask and arguably the best-known character in Goosebumps history, isn't in the story. This book is longer than The Haunted Mask, but it's not as suspenseful, doesn't make as much sense, and there's no twist ending to induce real goosebumps. It's also gorier than most Goosebumps books. There are atmospheric moments, though, so I do recommend it for die-hard Goosebumps fanatics. I might give this one and a half stars, but there are better books ahead in the Most Wanted series. Keep reading and you'll see what I mean.
July 19, 2012
You know a book is good, especially a middle grade book, when you dream about it, no, when you have a nightmare about it! People weren't kidding when they say that R.L. Stine is the Stephen King for kids!
The Haunted Mask is split up into three parts, which gives us three point-of-views...
The story starts out with shop owner named William who enjoys creating beautiful, exotic and happy masks. He believes that his masks are to bring fun and joy to the persons wearing them. But when his estranged brother, Randolph, shows up with a proposition to go into business together, showing him a case full of the most ugly and twisted masks he has ever seen. They quarrel and things get quite intense and scary.
Now 40 years later, we meet Lu-Ann and Devin and they are talking about their plans for Halloween. Lu-Ann is tired of going to her friends boring Halloween party every year and now that they are older, she is hoping to make things scary and interesting. Meanwhile, Devin and his family are going to go live on a pumpkin farm for the whole week of Halloween and won't be around to go to the party.
On Halloween, Lu-Ann and her two friends, Brad and Marcus, go to Polly's boring Halloween party and weird things start happening. They run upstairs into the attic and find a chest full of masks. They decide to put on the masks to frighten the party-goers... little does Lu-Ann that her mask is "special".
The story then jumps back a few days before Halloween showing us what Devin has been going through living on the pumpkin farm which has not been fun... and the most scariest things have been happening too.
On Halloween everyone's story collides together to create the most suspenseful and scariest of all endings ever. R.L. Stine really does know how to deliver a good scare!
I highly recommend that parents read this first before giving to any children under the age of 8. My son is 8 1/2 and I'm not sure if I want him reading it yet even though he thinks the cover is one of the coolest bookcovers he has ever seen, lol! I guess we'll be finding out this fall whether he'll still think that or not!
The Haunted Mask is split up into three parts, which gives us three point-of-views...
The story starts out with shop owner named William who enjoys creating beautiful, exotic and happy masks. He believes that his masks are to bring fun and joy to the persons wearing them. But when his estranged brother, Randolph, shows up with a proposition to go into business together, showing him a case full of the most ugly and twisted masks he has ever seen. They quarrel and things get quite intense and scary.
Now 40 years later, we meet Lu-Ann and Devin and they are talking about their plans for Halloween. Lu-Ann is tired of going to her friends boring Halloween party every year and now that they are older, she is hoping to make things scary and interesting. Meanwhile, Devin and his family are going to go live on a pumpkin farm for the whole week of Halloween and won't be around to go to the party.
On Halloween, Lu-Ann and her two friends, Brad and Marcus, go to Polly's boring Halloween party and weird things start happening. They run upstairs into the attic and find a chest full of masks. They decide to put on the masks to frighten the party-goers... little does Lu-Ann that her mask is "special".
The story then jumps back a few days before Halloween showing us what Devin has been going through living on the pumpkin farm which has not been fun... and the most scariest things have been happening too.
On Halloween everyone's story collides together to create the most suspenseful and scariest of all endings ever. R.L. Stine really does know how to deliver a good scare!
I highly recommend that parents read this first before giving to any children under the age of 8. My son is 8 1/2 and I'm not sure if I want him reading it yet even though he thinks the cover is one of the coolest bookcovers he has ever seen, lol! I guess we'll be finding out this fall whether he'll still think that or not!
March 6, 2020
It was scary but I liked it.
August 26, 2024
3.5/5
Hmm, I'm not mad at this book by any means, but I didn't love it either.
This is a Stine double feature. We follow the characters Lu-Ann and Devin as they deal with developments around Halloween. Lu-Ann finds a creepy mask that derails her life once she puts it on, while Devin spends his week on a pumpkin farm helping his dad and trying to ignore the creepy happenings that seem to be getting worse and worse.
So let's address the double feature element. I'm not sure if newer works by Stine are formatted in this way, but it felt a bit stilted if you ask me. The stories did end up tying together, but I thought they would have been fine as standalones.
Lu-Ann is a jokester and I liked her attitude. She felt very much like me at a younger age, but Devin's character left me wanting more. He's overly imaginative, and while that made sense he constantly freaks out about something he thinks he saw, which lessened the shock factor as the chapters went by.
The horror element was really strong in Lu-Ann's story and faster paced, which I loved, while Devin's story takes on a lesser creepy vibe and plods along a bit more slowly. In the end I liked Lu-Ann's story a lot more than Devin's. His just felt like something of an afterthought. I think younger readers will enjoy this double feature for sure, but there are greater Stine novels out there.
Hmm, I'm not mad at this book by any means, but I didn't love it either.
This is a Stine double feature. We follow the characters Lu-Ann and Devin as they deal with developments around Halloween. Lu-Ann finds a creepy mask that derails her life once she puts it on, while Devin spends his week on a pumpkin farm helping his dad and trying to ignore the creepy happenings that seem to be getting worse and worse.
So let's address the double feature element. I'm not sure if newer works by Stine are formatted in this way, but it felt a bit stilted if you ask me. The stories did end up tying together, but I thought they would have been fine as standalones.
Lu-Ann is a jokester and I liked her attitude. She felt very much like me at a younger age, but Devin's character left me wanting more. He's overly imaginative, and while that made sense he constantly freaks out about something he thinks he saw, which lessened the shock factor as the chapters went by.
The horror element was really strong in Lu-Ann's story and faster paced, which I loved, while Devin's story takes on a lesser creepy vibe and plods along a bit more slowly. In the end I liked Lu-Ann's story a lot more than Devin's. His just felt like something of an afterthought. I think younger readers will enjoy this double feature for sure, but there are greater Stine novels out there.
June 18, 2022
Χορταστικό, απολαυστικό, με τις χιουμοριστικές και τις τρομακτικές του στιγμές σε μεγάλη αρμονία και πολύ καλή ισορροπία, με μια αρκετά γκροτέσκικη διάθεση, το βιβλίο αυτό ήταν ό,τι χρειαζόταν για να πέσει αυλαία σε αυτή τη σειρά, που αποτελεί μέρος μιας άλλης μεγαλύτερης σειράς, και που μετά από τόσα χρόνια καταφέρνει να είναι εξίσου απολαυστική.
February 22, 2022
At her classmates Halloween party, Lu-Ann finds an old mask in the attic. She puts it on, but when she tries to remove it, discovers it's stuck to her face like a second skin. Not only that, but she also begins to experience an intense rage while wearing it. She attacks the other party goers, destroys the house and jumps out the front window, escaping into the night.
She goes to her friends father's mask store, looking for help. He tells her she is wearing "The Haunted Mask," and that reportedly, only an act of incredible kindness can remove it.
Meanwhile, her best friend, Devin, is forced to spend the week helping out at his father's new business venture - a pumpkin farm. But Devin hates it; he's seeing weird things in his window, the pumpkins seem alive and he hears whispers calling his name. The housekeepers son tells him the pumpkin patch used to be a graveyard, and the dead are angry their resting spot was built upon - and they're closing in on Devin.
Lu-Ann and Devin are both having a horrible Halloween night - is there any way they can save themselves?
She goes to her friends father's mask store, looking for help. He tells her she is wearing "The Haunted Mask," and that reportedly, only an act of incredible kindness can remove it.
Meanwhile, her best friend, Devin, is forced to spend the week helping out at his father's new business venture - a pumpkin farm. But Devin hates it; he's seeing weird things in his window, the pumpkins seem alive and he hears whispers calling his name. The housekeepers son tells him the pumpkin patch used to be a graveyard, and the dead are angry their resting spot was built upon - and they're closing in on Devin.
Lu-Ann and Devin are both having a horrible Halloween night - is there any way they can save themselves?
December 21, 2017
This must be said: this is not a reprint of the original.
Advisory for parents with young children with advanced reading levels:
As a child I loved Goosebumps, and my son is following in my path. He wanted this book because he loved the story, but after reading the preface and the first few chapters he stopped and didn't seem that interested in it. A few days later he told me I was right about how R.L. Stine had scarier books where people actually died in them (the Fear Street books) because this was one of them...
He was really upset, so I read the book thinking that he had to be mistaken...but he wasn't. I gave him the choice to continue reading the book or not. He chose not to because he kept thinking about the beginning and getting upset again.
Advisory for parents with young children with advanced reading levels:
As a child I loved Goosebumps, and my son is following in my path. He wanted this book because he loved the story, but after reading the preface and the first few chapters he stopped and didn't seem that interested in it. A few days later he told me I was right about how R.L. Stine had scarier books where people actually died in them (the Fear Street books) because this was one of them...
He was really upset, so I read the book thinking that he had to be mistaken...but he wasn't. I gave him the choice to continue reading the book or not. He chose not to because he kept thinking about the beginning and getting upset again.
April 18, 2020
I just finished this morning great read the end of the book was great very oicturesc or illusion made me feel like i was Devon at the end of the book I try and relate to my characters reminded me of when I was a gullible kid. at devon's age.a good recommend
October 2, 2022
Fun read for Halloween!
Talk about a spooky story! Reading about the haunted mask was thrilling and had a pretty high spook factor. Though it is a middle grade book, the storyline is solid and the plot moves along in a way that makes sense. Made for a good read for Halloween.
Talk about a spooky story! Reading about the haunted mask was thrilling and had a pretty high spook factor. Though it is a middle grade book, the storyline is solid and the plot moves along in a way that makes sense. Made for a good read for Halloween.
October 2, 2015
It was a fun and exciting book about horror and people ripping their face off!
August 3, 2017
Sorta creepy
November 9, 2017
The original Haunted Mask is better but I still enjoyed this one. The intro is intense and I like that it's two stories in one. My complete review can be watched at:
Shelved as 'dnf'
October 28, 2020My 5 year old daughter LOVES the Goosebumps show. I read a few Stine books as a kid but I've never been a fan of horror. She has been asking me to read the "mask book" to her for a few months now and I finally and reluctantly agreed. Stine is such a famous author I honestly expected better writing. The same words were used repetitively within a few sentences of each other which is a huge pet peeve of mine. William started walking again. And once more, he heard the clicking footsteps close behind him. Hansel growled again. William spun around again. The writing felt stiff and I never forgot I was reading...if that makes sense. Reading this took effort and I was never able to sink into the story and just enjoy it.
I was shocked by the description of the guy ripping off his own face and blood pouring onto the floor. I believe I may have assumed this was a book for younger kids when it is actually intended for an older audience. Totally my fault but be aware. My daughter and I decided to put this away for her to read when she's older and to go back to reading the Creepover series by . They are "horror" stories but they aren't scary and my daughter enjoys that the main characters are all girls. Sort of like Nancy Drew or Babysitter's Club meets R.L. Stine.
I was shocked by the description of the guy ripping off his own face and blood pouring onto the floor. I believe I may have assumed this was a book for younger kids when it is actually intended for an older audience. Totally my fault but be aware. My daughter and I decided to put this away for her to read when she's older and to go back to reading the Creepover series by . They are "horror" stories but they aren't scary and my daughter enjoys that the main characters are all girls. Sort of like Nancy Drew or Babysitter's Club meets R.L. Stine.
January 20, 2019
" A Not-so-scary Halloween "
I have always adored R.L.Stine's work and despite the simplicity of the narrative, he always manages to slip in a couple of scares, thrills, and frights. But I felt that this one lacked that trademark zest. The story despite starting off on a frightening note loses steam gradually thus dampening my mood to relish the horror elements which lurk somewhere behind those pages. The sentient pumpkins and the vine crawlers which seemed to have a life of their own didn't pose much of a threat and it was hard to take them seriously. The book was portioned into 3 parts. The first part was brief and it was about the backstory of the "Haunted Masks" while the next two parts were narrated from the perspective of Lu-Ann and her friend Devin respectively. Apparently, Halloween had a lot in store for them and they had their own troubles to deal with. R.L.Stine certainly did keep me on my toes about the fate of the two characters and it was only at the penultimate chapter he tied the loose ends of the character into a wonderful knot.
The more I think about the book to write the review, the more "it-wasn't-that-bad" feel creeps in.
I just have a mixed opinion about this one. It was good, but not too good.
I have always adored R.L.Stine's work and despite the simplicity of the narrative, he always manages to slip in a couple of scares, thrills, and frights. But I felt that this one lacked that trademark zest. The story despite starting off on a frightening note loses steam gradually thus dampening my mood to relish the horror elements which lurk somewhere behind those pages. The sentient pumpkins and the vine crawlers which seemed to have a life of their own didn't pose much of a threat and it was hard to take them seriously. The book was portioned into 3 parts. The first part was brief and it was about the backstory of the "Haunted Masks" while the next two parts were narrated from the perspective of Lu-Ann and her friend Devin respectively. Apparently, Halloween had a lot in store for them and they had their own troubles to deal with. R.L.Stine certainly did keep me on my toes about the fate of the two characters and it was only at the penultimate chapter he tied the loose ends of the character into a wonderful knot.
The more I think about the book to write the review, the more "it-wasn't-that-bad" feel creeps in.
I just have a mixed opinion about this one. It was good, but not too good.
November 9, 2017
The Haunted Mask, by R.L Stine, is intended to be a horror book. It's about a girl named Lu Ann. Her best friend is out of town. She decides to scare kids at a halloween party by putting on a mask. When she puts on the mask she gains enhanced strength and an urge to cause harm to others. I found this book had a thin plot. It left a lot of backstory unexplained, like how the mask was made and how it gained its power to possess another. The book also included humor, while trying to take itself seriously. To be honest, it failed at both. On the subject of it trying to be horror book, I didn't expect much, considering it's a kids' book. At some points it was actually a little scary. So on that front I was pleased. This book was "meh". Out of all the R.L. Stine books I've read, it was probably one of the worst. There were little quotes from this book I thought were worthy of putting into this review. "An act of kindness. I have to fight the power of the mask and do an act of kindness". This quote is thought by the main character on page 101. Honestly, you're far better of watching the Jim Carrey movie.
April 5, 2022
Let me start off by saying the first 30 pages of this book (Part One: The Haunted Mask) is not only of the best thing's Stine has ever written, but reads - and ends - like a Bradbury story. Absolutely haunting stuff. The book then gives us two more stories, Lu-Ann's story, and Devin's. Lu-Ann's story is also great, and (somewhat) picks up where we left off with the Haunted Mask plotline.
Then we get Devin's story. While not a bad story by any means, it is very much its own story and completely detracts from the first two stories which started us off on a great run. The tie-in and overall conclusion just feels abrupt and unnecessary. Such a shame because Devin's story has such a good concept that it could have served as its own standalone book, but just ends up feeling like filler. This is a Haunted Mask book after all, but only half of it feels like a Haunted Mask book.
Then we get Devin's story. While not a bad story by any means, it is very much its own story and completely detracts from the first two stories which started us off on a great run. The tie-in and overall conclusion just feels abrupt and unnecessary. Such a shame because Devin's story has such a good concept that it could have served as its own standalone book, but just ends up feeling like filler. This is a Haunted Mask book after all, but only half of it feels like a Haunted Mask book.
November 11, 2018
Nothing much to say because goosebumps is always fun.
Halloween celebrations may be fun but nothing can be worse if it comes at the stake of your identity. Lu-Ann is trapped inside her own monstrous skin because of a mask and she needs helps. She is unable to fight the monster inside her which craves destruction. Only her best friend Devin can stand beside her but he himself is trapped in a pumpkin farm(sounds weird,yeah). Both are away from each other but they still manage to save each other in a way which can give anyone goosebumps!
Halloween celebrations may be fun but nothing can be worse if it comes at the stake of your identity. Lu-Ann is trapped inside her own monstrous skin because of a mask and she needs helps. She is unable to fight the monster inside her which craves destruction. Only her best friend Devin can stand beside her but he himself is trapped in a pumpkin farm(sounds weird,yeah). Both are away from each other but they still manage to save each other in a way which can give anyone goosebumps!
September 26, 2017
I have to agree with some of the other reviewers. The prologue has some nasty descriptions for a kids book. I loved it but reader beware.... you're in for a scare! As for as the rest of the book goes it does seem like someone else wrote the story using Stine as a pen name, which I've heard happens with these books. It's good but it just doesn't seem like his style. Worth checking out though if you like the Haunted Mask story lines.
October 31, 2020
This was ok for a quick read. Not comparable to the quality of The Haunted Mask 1 & 2 from the original series.
I felt like the story did not focus so much on exploring the real origin of the mask and the original story was not respected.
However if I separate it from the original books, it was a decent Halloween read about an evil mask. The book is divided in 3 segments, each explaining the story of a different protagonist, connecting all the stories with the mask.
I felt like the story did not focus so much on exploring the real origin of the mask and the original story was not respected.
However if I separate it from the original books, it was a decent Halloween read about an evil mask. The book is divided in 3 segments, each explaining the story of a different protagonist, connecting all the stories with the mask.
March 21, 2017
Boo. I read The Haunted Mask in the Goosebumps Wanted series because R.L. Stine recommended it in a Reddit thread, saying that it is among his favorites of book he's written recently. Being a big fan of The Haunted Mask in the original Goosebumps series, I was interested in reading this book. Of course, the originals weren't so good either, but suffice it to say this book was really disappointing.
Imagine any story that goes this way. Introduce a vague origin story for the haunted mask. Skip forward in time to the discovery of the mask. A girl wears it and wreaks havoc. Skip again. A ghost story. Girl wreaking havoc with the mask stops a ghost. In a large proportion of the book, the mask plays no role at all. It's a ghost story.
A skeptical person would say that the haunted mask angle was a deceptive way to sell a boring ghost story. I'm skeptical.
Imagine any story that goes this way. Introduce a vague origin story for the haunted mask. Skip forward in time to the discovery of the mask. A girl wears it and wreaks havoc. Skip again. A ghost story. Girl wreaking havoc with the mask stops a ghost. In a large proportion of the book, the mask plays no role at all. It's a ghost story.
A skeptical person would say that the haunted mask angle was a deceptive way to sell a boring ghost story. I'm skeptical.
March 10, 2025
Being completely honest I thought this book was great. and I liked how the two stories inside of it collide to bring a good ending to both parties, however I thought this was a little more mature than they usually are. Like the part when one of the characters faces gets RIPPED OFF?, this book traumatized me but yet it was still a good book. I approve :)
August 22, 2018
I would have given it 5 stars only if I have read it when I was a kid. But I'm above 18 and a big fan of " A quite place" and " American horror story" and for that reason this book didn't scare me as much as it should have. Nevertheless, it surprised me and at times it was unpredictable.
October 7, 2019
Two and a half stars.
The mask is back. And this time, it has a few decent pages relegating its horror as always. Unfortunately, just a few pages.
A decent read.
While it's the cardboard characters of Stine like everytime, The Haunted Mask has something to offer.
Recommend 4.5/10
The mask is back. And this time, it has a few decent pages relegating its horror as always. Unfortunately, just a few pages.
A decent read.
While it's the cardboard characters of Stine like everytime, The Haunted Mask has something to offer.
Recommend 4.5/10
October 27, 2021
Not a bad plot, but the way this was written was obviously just towards a children's audience so it did make the book seem longer than it was. The descriptions of some of the gore or scary parts were good.
July 18, 2024
A rare miss from RL Stine. Started off very crazy and violent. Was shocked for a goosebumps book. Then Lu-Anne’s story came around with really no substance to it. Devin’s story was great. Loved that. It all got tied up in the end. All in all I’d give it a 3.5 stars.
April 1, 2025
This book is so eerie and unsettling. It's so gory and brutal in so many ways. It's definitely for age above 13. It's like you are reading several short stories collection of Haunted Mask in just one. And the way, Stine interconnected them was marvellous.
October 28, 2017
Great
I loved how the stories end up connecting ! Great 👍I suggest for middle school aged kids and adults that are kids at heart
I loved how the stories end up connecting ! Great 👍I suggest for middle school aged kids and adults that are kids at heart
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